Education Specialist - Beirut

ROLE PURPOSE: The Education Specialist is a critical position for Save the Children in Lebanon and will play a crucial role in supporting the Education Technical Advisor in ensuring the design, implementation and monitoring of high quality education programmes for thousands of children across the country. The Education Specialist supports the work in the education sector, working closely with the Technical Advisor in supporting the implementation of strategic and operational plans, including supporting the development of technical proposals and technical guidelines notes with a particular emphasis on mapping regionally available resources and adapting existing resources to the Lebanese context, maintaining partnerships with Government, UN, NGO and local civil society counterparts, as well as providing capacity building and operational support of our education teams across four different field locations in Lebanon as per needs identified with the Education Technical Advisor. SCOPE OF ROLE: Reports to: Education Technical Advisor Dimensions: Save the Children Lebanon Country Office currently has a large portfolio of education work across the country, with a strong pipeline of future funding and opportunities to further expand. Staff directly reporting to this post: None, but the Education Specialist has a direct relationship with education programme managers and other education staff at field level.   KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Strategic planning and leadership Support the development of an education strategy for Save the Children in Lebanon, including cross cutting issues related to education. Ensure clear process in place for tracking and reporting on progress against the education sector strategy. Provide education technical input to the development of country annual plans, area plans, sector strategies and other planning documents. Maintain a clear overview of programme progress across the education sector portfolio to be shared with senior managers. Ensure education teams at field level better integrate actions with other sectors where possible, and vice versa.  Programme quality and standards Support the Technical Advisor in providing technical expertise, quality assurance and support for Save the Children’s education programmes, ensuring they are of high quality with reliable data and outcomes. Continuously follow up with education field staff on their capacity building needs and report back to the Technical Advisor for needs to be integrated in the capacity building plan; Support the implementation of specific training by identifying local trainers and experts; supporting training delivery; coaching staff on identified issues; following up on training outcomes etc. Support the development and maintenance of a central database of tools and guidance to support programme quality in education and support the mapping and development of technical tools, guidance and documentation as required with a particular focus on ensuring that tools are locally tested and available in Arabic. Support knowledge sharing across teams, and, in coordination with MEAL team, ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve programmes. In coordination with the Education Technical Advisor, develop “virtual library” of recommended manuals and approaches per type of programme, Ensure documentation of case studies and dissemination of these both internally and externally working with the Media and Advocacy team.  Programme development and resource mobilisation Ensure field teams are systematically consulted in identifying fundraising needs and priorities in the education sector. Identify and assess appropriateness of fundraising opportunities. Support the technical development of high quality proposals and Concept Notes for education sector. Support donor and partner mapping for the education sector  Support to programme implementation Support area-based Education teams to finalize field operational work plans, establish clear targets and activity plans for each school or other learning environment. Support the development of monitoring, information management, and reporting systems that provide information for reporting and programme improvement (in conjunction with Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) and field staff). Support high quality reporting by field staff through timely review and guidance. Support recruitment of education field staff as needed (drafting/revision of JD/interview grids/technical exams etc.). Work with field teams to promote and facilitate synergies with other thematic programmes, ensuring, at a minimum, that learning environments address child protection and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) standards and that coordination with other sectors exists. As needed, participate in technical inputs to procurement of programme goods or services involving multiple locations, large-scale use of resources, and/or a high level of risk to the agency to ensure programme relevance, quality, adherence to technical guidelines, and efficient use of resources. Conduct regular field monitoring of activities.  Advocacy and representation Represent Save the Children’s education work in Lebanon externally on behalf of the Education Technical Advisor. Represent Save the Children in technical area to government and other agencies in the absence of the Education Technical Advisor. Represent Save the Children on other national/international technical networks as requested by Technical Advisor. Represent Save the Children in education sector working group meetings and other sector coordination forums in Lebanon in coordination with the Education Technical Advisor. Contribute to development of advocacy messages and materials in education   General Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.   QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE Essential Master’s degree  in  education, development  or  other  relevant Social  Science degree. A Bachelor’s degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and professional experience may be accepted in lieu of advanced university degree. A minimum of 5 years’ professional experience in the education sector (NGO/UN or regular schools), including teachers’ capacity building, teaching and/or school management. Previous management experience in an NGO or other humanitarian environment, including experience directing and implementing programs for children in both emergency and development contexts. Proven experience leading Education in Emergencies (EiE) programming and in participating in emergency coordination forums (education working groups etc) Sound technical understanding of child-friendly, active and inclusive learning practices, Readiness to continuously update technical skills. Commitment  to  and  understanding of Save the  Children’s  aims,  values  and principles  including rights-based approaches Excellent understanding of the Monitoring and Evaluation processes and methodologies related to education. Proven representation and advocacy skills. Strong report writing skills, including experience in writing funding proposals and donor reports. Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, taking into account cultural and language difficulties. Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Ability to analyse information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically Knowledge of key areas of programme operations, logistics and grant management relevant to delivering quality education programming Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours, and work with incoming teams in the event of major emergencies Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic. Familiarity with key international standards for humanitarian work and education in emergencies (e.g. INEE, SPHERE, HAP principles, etc.). Desirable Technical knowledge in both Basic Education and Early Childhood Education. Technical knowledge and experience in community based education programming Previous work experience in Lebanon in response to the Syrian crisis